HEY 19!: My [simulated] All-Time Hot 100 circa 1979

I've been looking back at the music I loved when I was a teenager, trying to imagine what I would have named as my All-Time Hot 100 songs when I was a nascent rock 'n' roll fan. We've seen what I liked when I was 16 (going on 17) in 1976, how it evolved one year later when I was 17, and how it exploded in giddy delight in late '77 and into the fall of '78. And the fall of 1978 was when I met Brenda.




The modern world.

Although one can believe in a love at first sight (and I'm certain that it happens all the time), it didn't happen that way for Brenda and me. We had been in a small class together in the fall of '77, but neither of us made much impression on the other. That changed in October of 1978. We met, for real. We fell in love. We've been together in good times and in bad times ever since then.

After the tumult of early courtship, and the uncertainty of whether this new relationship would survive past Christmas break, we reunited in Syracuse on January 17th, my 19th birthday, when she gave me a copy of the Armed Forces LP by Elvis Costello & the Attractions. Clearly, this was a heart I should hold on to.

1979 held so much disappointment and heartache. Brenda got sick, and needed to go back home to Staten Island for treatment; she missed a couple of weeks of school that spring, and I was out of my mind with worry. But she got through it, healthier than before. My favorite band The Flashcubes broke up that summer (though, technically, they stuck around another year, but without one of the founding members). One of my best friends from high school divorced herself from our crowd; another divorced himself from life itself, putting a gun to his head on July 1st. These are stories I've told many times; they still hurt with each re-telling.

So maybe I'm just stupid when I look back on 1979 with such fondness. In spite of everything, it was my best year. Love and music. Friendship. A full-time job in the summer. Weekends spent with Brenda, who'd taken an apartment in Brockport, allowing us to trade off who would hop a Greyhound to visit the other each Friday. Hearts growing stronger together. And my senior year in college beckoning in the fall. The modern world. I could get used to that.



Accidents Will Happen Elvis Costello & the Attractions
All Around The World The Jam
All Day And All Of The Night The Kinks
All Kindsa Girls The Real Kids
Any Way You Want It The Dave Clark Five
Babysitter The Ramones
Because The Night The Patti Smith Group
Blitzkrieg Bop The Ramones
Capital Radio The Clash
Carbona Not Glue The Ramones
Catch Us If You Can The Dave Clark Five
Christi Girl The Flashcubes
Complete Control The Clash
Cool Metro David Johansen
Couldn't I Just Tell You Todd Rundgren
Crying Waiting Hoping The Beatles
Daily Nightly The Monkees
Death Of A Clown The Kinks
Do Anything You Wanna Do Eddie & the Hot Rods
Do You Love Me The Dave Clark Five
Do You Wanna Dance The Ramones
Don't Come Close The Ramones
Don't Put Me On The Flamin' Groovies
Every Little Thing The Beatles
Follow Me Artful Dodger
Frenchette David Johansen
Friday On My Mind The Easybeats
Get Off Of My Cloud The Rolling Stones
Go All The Way The Raspberries
God Save The Queen The Sex Pistols
Heart Full Of Soul The Yardbirds
Hey Deanie Shaun Cassidy
Hong Kong Garden Siouxsie & the Banshees
I Can't Explain The Who
I Just Want To Have Something To Do The Ramones
I Need To Know Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
I Need You (For Someone) The Jam
I Wanna Be Sedated The Ramones
I Wanna Be With You The Raspberries
I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend The Rubinoos
I Want You Around The Ramones
I Want You To Want Me Cheap Trick
(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear Blondie
I'm Down The Beatles
I'm On Fire The Dwight Twilley Band
I'm The Man Joe Jackson
In The City The Jam
Is She Really Going Out With Him? Joe Jackson
It's My Life The Animals
It's Over Artful Dodger
Juke Box Music The Kinks
Laugh, Laugh The Beau Brummels
Let's Face It 999
Let's Swing The Romantics
Liar, Liar The Castaways
Lies The Knickerbockers
Little Girl Lies Blondie
Little White Lies The Romantics
London's Burning The Clash
Love Is Only Sleeping The Monkees
The Kids Are Alright The Who
Making Time The Creation
The Modern World The Jam
A Must To Avoid Herman's Hermits
No Matter What Badfinger
No More Looking Back The Kinks
One More Time Joe Jackson
Personality Crisis The New York Dolls
Porpoise Song (Theme From Head) The Monkees
Pretty Vacant The Sex Pistols
Public Image Public Image Ltd.
Ready Steady Go Generation X
Revolution The Beatles
Roadrunner The Greg Kihn Band
Rock And Roll The Runaways
Rock And Roll Is Dead The Rubinoos
Rock 'n' Roll High School The Ramones
Rockaway Beach The Ramones
Roxanne The Police
Shake Some Action The Flamin' Groovies
Shattered The Rolling Stones
She Don't Know Why I'm Here The Last
Sheena Is A Punk Rocker The Ramones
Starry Eyes The Records
Strange Town The Jam
Sunday Girl Blondie
Surrender Cheap Trick
Take A Chance The Most
Teenage Alcoholic The Ohms
Thank You, Girl The Beatles
Tommy Gun The Clash
Wait Till Next Week The Flashcubes
Walking Out On Love Paul Collins
Watching The Detectives Elvis Costello
Waterloo Sunset The Kinks
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Wouldn't You Like It The Bay City Rollers
X-Offender Blondie
You Really Got Me The Kinks
You're Gonna Miss Me The 13th Floor Elevators



WHEN WE RETURN: I Hit 20 (And 20 Hits Back)



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Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes,Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it https://tinyurl.com/ycnly8oz. New digital download version (minus The Smithereens) now available at  https://tinyurl.com/ycauy9xt